In this episode Barry discusses the government’s decision not to table a budget in the House of Commons. This decision violates longstanding parliamentary tradition in keeping the government accountable. Barry suggests that is similar to the mindset of King Charles I who did not think he should be required to seek Parliamentary approval for his government spending. Ever since Charles I fight with Parliament, which King Charles I, paid dearly for his government’s spending, we inherited a tradition of the government being accountable. Charles raised a medieval tax known as the “Ship Tax” that was implemented by the monarch to raise money for the British Navy in time of war. It was a tax that needed no Parliament oversight. However, Charles called for a “Ship Tax” when there was no war – and he did not want to be limited to spending the money on the Navy he wanted to spend it where ever he felt it necessary.
This thinking led to a brutal English Civil War that saw the king executed. It nevertheless gave us the tradition of government tabling a budget in Parliament. Mr. Carney’s failure to do so now runs contrary to our system of keeping government accountable to the people. It suggests government will spend with no oversight. That is never good as governments have shown that if there is no control they will spend out of control. That leads to economic stress which often leads to limitations on our first freedoms.
